From the category archives:

2015 title

NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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Been following the adventures of Brad Balukjian, who’s traveling the country in search of his baseball heroes for a book project. He was a guest on a recent edition of Slate’s excellent sports podcast, Hang Up and Listen. We had a Bookshelf Conversation prior to his departure and I hope to have another one upon his […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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It’s always a pleasure to post a review from a friend of the blog. In this case we have Dorothy Mills, baseball historian and author of such books as A Woman’s Work: Writing Baseball History With Harold Seymour; Chasing Baseball: Our Obsession with Its History, Numbers, People and Places; and Drawing Card: A Baseball Novel, […]

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My New Jersey landsman and veteran sportswriter Filip Bondy has crafted a fun volume on one of the most famous games in the history of the national pastime. Whenever there’s a baseball show featuring a compilation of clips, there’s a good chance you’ll find the July 24, 1983 contest between the New York Yankees and […]

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by Filip Bondy. As posted on Bookreporter.com.  

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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Came across this Rolling Stone interview with Joe Pepitone from our friend Dan Epsietin. Pepi’s memoir, Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud celebrates its 40th anniversary this year with a reissue from Skyhorse Press (the same publisher as my Maccabiah book; just sayin’). Can it really be that long ago? I remember that as one […]

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I love it when worlds collide, that is when two or more of my favorite things meet. In this case, I’m talking about the July 17 edition of the Pop Culture Happy Hour, one of my go-to podcasts. It’s what I always listen to on my way home from work on Fridays (on my way […]

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I picked up a couple of books at the library recently and, lo and behold, found some baseball in ’em. 100 of the Worst Ideas in History, by Michael Smith and Eric Kasum, includes three items on the national pastime in the chapter “Stupidity at a Major League Level.” Each contains the following: “The genius […]

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Look, I’m no one to complain. I’ve had my share of shameless self-promoting. But come on, when Will Ferrell pulled off his spring training stunt of playing 10 positions for 10 teams in one day, you had to know that something was up. Sure, this gig ostensibly raised money for caner awareness. But it also […]

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Revisiting the “Horace Clarke Era,” by Fritz Peterson. CreateSpace, 254 pages, $19.99. Timing is everything and relatively speaking, Fritz Peterson didn’t have it. He came along when the New York Yankees were in decline after so many successful campaigns. And while the left-handed starter had a decent career, one wonders what might have been had […]

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This is how I remember Fritz Peterson. A smiling, happy-go-lucky ballplayer. And why not? When this Topps card came out, he had just finished a successful rookie year for the New York Yankees, finishing 12-11 with a 3.31 ERA and allowing just 196 hits in 215 innings. Unfortunately, the good times were few and far […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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Rob Neyer occasionally posts “book club” entries as part of his Just a  Bit Outside site. This one was put up shortly after the passing of Alison Gordon, a sportswriter who covered the Toronto Blue Jays and chronicled the experience in her book Foul Ball!: Five Years in the American League. This piece from BaseballEssential […]

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There are basically three time periods during which baseball books are released: around opening day (the largest number), around the All-Star break, and once more around World Series time. One thing I learned is that most books have a limited shelf life, literally. There’s only so much space at bookstores and new material comes in […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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Grantland recently aired Spyball, one of those 30 for 30 short documentaries produced by the folks at ESPN. Spyball is the story of Moe Berg, one of the most interesting characters to play in the Majors. A very quick recap of Berg’s career: He was a brilliant scholar, linguist, lawyer, etc., as well as mediocre […]

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NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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{ Comments on this entry are closed }

NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]

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{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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